A reader (Sekou) at Rachel’s Tavern sent me a link to this fascinating article about a Black single mother who had to file a law suit several years ago to adopt a white child. I have said before that I don’t personally know of any cases of white kids being adopted into black families. That obviously doesn’t mean that it does not happen, but it is indeed rare. The article from the Detroit News says between 2001-05 78 white kids in the state of Michigan were adopted by blacks, compared to 677 black kids adopted by whites. So white kids raised by black parents are there, but they are uncommon.
There is one glaring problem with the article, and this is a common problem as I have noted in the past. The article cites that National Association of Black Social Workers as a source of opposition to transracial adoption, but that really is not relevant here. I can just about guarantee that the NABSW doesn’t have a problem with this case. Their concern was about a black children being aopted by white parents in large numbers, while prospective black adoptive parents faced numerous hurdles. The article fails to cite one real life white person who was opposed to this adoption on racial grounds. (They do cite some stares by random white people at the end.)
However, the article does a good job highlighting several other issues. What is also interesting is that part of the reason the adoptive mother want to adopt this child was to keep her with her sister, who is biracial (black/white I’m assuming). The adoption of the biracial sister appeared to be a non-issue with opponents. Now this my friends points out the utter absurdity of conflating race and culture, which I have also addressed before. (Lyonside also helped me put the smackdown on a troll in the comments. It’s worth reading.) How can you have two siblings being raised by the same biological mother, and people have decided that they somehow have a different culture? Their difference is race, not culture. If this was a cross cultural or international adoption, that discussion would be more relevant. I also think it could be more relevant if this black mother knew absolutely nothing about white people in America, which would mean she didn’t watch any TV, read any magazines, get a job with whites, etc. Do you realize how difficult that would be?
What is even more interesting is the part where the black adoptive mother was asked–what kinds of (white) foods she would cook for the daughter. The mother replied that all the kids eat hot dogs and hamburgers.
I also found the part about people asking her “why she talked black” to be quite fascinating.
Go read the entire article from the Detroit news; it’s really a good story.
I love the assumption that this mom should raise her to be white. I dont think she can, and thats a good thing. I hope she cant anyway.
I find the notion of “white food” rather funny.
Poor, rural Southerners eat pretty much the same things, whether they are black or white. All the stereotypically black foods I can think of are things I grew up eating (except chitlins, which my mother thought were disgusting–but our neighbors ate them) in an all-white but extremely poor county in East Tennessee.
From my point of view it has alot to do with not only race, but privilege. The people who allowed Stacey to be adopted would have to concede, at least in their own minds, that one of the reasons they were so wary is because Black people are more disadvantaged in this society than whites are. Not less hard working, not less worthy, just more likely to be looked over, and pushed aside. When they put Stacey in Regina’s custody they probably felt they were sacrificing her, equalizing her socially and culturally with her new family, instead of giving her “the best” opportunities by moving her into a white home.
Your thoughts on the differences between race and culture, and how they are incorrectly defined-at least in this situation-really made me think.
My favorite part was when someone asked if the adoptive mother was going to learn how to clean white hair. Wasn’t this girl 9 years old when she was adopted? Wouldn’t she have already known how to wash her own hair? (And seriously, washing white hair? Is that supposed to be difficult?)
danucal said, “When they put Stacey in Regina’s custody they probably felt they were sacrificing her, equalizing her socially and culturally with her new family, instead of giving her “the best” opportunities by moving her into a white home.”
Yeah, they probably did, but I find it interesting (but not surprising) that the reporter for this story could find one person to admit that.
I know some countries are restricting international adoptions on the grounds that it takes away the child’s culture (a report suggests that you should learn Chinese if you want to adopt a Chinese child, but maybe I misunderstand). But it doesn’t sound like womana is very racially insensitive. How would she raise a white child to be black anyway — feed her black walnuts?
I was adopted, by black parents. It was fine. I think it makes me more well-rounded and able to see both sides, of the race issue. It sucks, though, when people ask me why I’m white and if I wish my parents were white and why they’re black. One of my brothers is white and one is black. I didn’t tell my prom date, once and he came to pick me up and my dad answered and he started leaving and my dad asked if he was taking his daughter and my date said “no” and my dad had to explain, what I’d forgotten. And, I have been excluded from a few birthday parties and gotten funny looks, when I babysit for my parents’ friends and when I hang-out with my brother or parents, but it’s usually fine. My brother likes white girls and he gets frustrated, when they don’t like him back and then, he asks me all these questions about white people, that I can’t answer, because I don’t know the answers. And, everybody had a comment, when they find-out the kid with my last name’s my brother. But, I was socialized “white”, so I dress white, talk white, and listen to white music. It was harder, when I was younger, but it’s normal, now. I don’t know any different, so I can’t compare.
i’ve written about this from my own experience:
‘on being a black woman raising a white daughter’
I was adopted by black people the day I was born – specifically Africans. It’s weird sometimes but I just get used to telling the same story over and over to many people. We moved to Africa when I was young and I can talk like an African and speak an African language and I lived there for half my life so I consider myself to be from there as well as my blood. Theres nothing wrong with it and you end up acting the way you want to. I have black friends and white friends and listen to all different types of music, etc. What difference does it make?